Thursday, June 10, 2010

BOOKS AND FOOD

Books and food, my two favorite subjects. I write mysteries that take place in a pie shop. The sleuth is a baker who learned everything she knows about lemon meringue, key lime, and pumpkin chiffon from her dear grannie who's gone to her reward in the upscale retirement home on the hill. There she plays Bridge (where her opponent is murdered right there at the card table). I not only write food-based mysteries with recipes included, I read them too. I recently read a mystery that takes place in a tea shop. The descriptions of the exotic types of tea and the muffins and scones made my mouth water. I had to drop everything including my work in progress and bake a batch of chocolate sour cream scones. Which were scrumptious. It's not enough to write about food, I belong to a book club that chooses a culinary theme based on the book we're reading. Tonight's book was Swedish author Steig Larson's THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO. After a spirited discussion we ate Swedish meatballs, open face sandwiches on Swedish rye bread, Matjes herring with dill, and pancakes with Lingonberry jam. It's not easy being a food writer, reader and eater, all at the same time, but I'm giving it my best shot. What sacrifices do you make for your craft?

My sacrifices include going to places like Catalina Island and Julian, CA, and next Vegas for my Granny Apples series. (Hey, someone's got to do it.) For my Odelia Grey books, I've subscribed to adult web cam sites, gone to drag queen bingo and hacked my way through a corn maze. Haven't had to make any "sacrifices" yet for the vampire series. Makes me shudder to think what they might be.

Sacrafices?... hmmm, let's see. Well, for starters I don't have any friends left any more (except other writers.) I used to play golf, go to ball games with buddies, hike the mountains with friends... now, it seems, I don't have that kind of time. My characters are waiting and they have things to do.

Thanks everyone for letting me know I'm not alone in my pain and misery. The baking, the eating, the travel to find the latest and greatest bakery, food booth and lunch counter. Our work is never done.